Perth as a city

[robins_jessica]

Hi, I've posted on the Darwin pages and had some great help, so thought I would try here too. i have the option to do my masters in early childhood at either Perth, or Darwin, or possibly Adelaide (not confirmed) We are a family of 4, two girls 4 and 6 (will be 5&7) husband skilled carpenter builder but aged 56. We currently live in the country with chickens and live miles form anyone. on this basis, we selected Darwin, as Perth seems soooooooo big.  However, I want to know if I am writing Perth off too quickly. We have the funds for around $400-$550 rental and we can have a car. I wouldn't want to live in the city,  I would need to get to UWA, but would like to have schools close to home for the kids. Hubby is going to find part time work probably self employed  so it can fit around me. If any one does have experience of living in any of the Cities, Perth specific experience or just any general advice I would be grateful. it's so hard trying to make such a big decision without being able to get on the ground and have a look. Start date for me is hopefully 2022 Feb, so some time away yet, if it can come together....

[Marisawright]

I wouldn't be put off by the size of Perth.  Although it's big, it doesn't feel like a Manchester or a Birmingham.  People complain about the dreadful traffic but it pales into insignificance compared to British city traffic.

The difficulty with Perth is trying to work out whether you can afford it, unless you know the suburbs.  There are some truly awful  suburbs in Perth, not because they're rough but because they're soulless dormitories.  A good illustration of how much difference a suburb can make, is to look at @Paul1Perth who lives in paradise, and @bug family who is absolutely miserable at the other end of Perth

The website homely.com.au can give you some idea of which suburbs are good, use it in conjunction with realestate.com.au to do your research - and also ask here.

Realestate.com.au also has a section where you can compare suburbs and importantly, it gives you median rentals  https://www.realestate.com.au/neighbourhoods?cid=cid:buy:left:homepg:neighbourhoods

If you have the choice of Adelaide, I would grab it.  It's a much more compact city, so you could realistically live in a more rural area and easily commute into town.  In Perth, you'd have to go much further out (so a longer commute, and you don't want to live rural in Darwin unless you are very intrepid.  Adelaide is also cheaper for rentals.  Check out the Adelaide Hills.

Edited April 24, 2021 by Marisawright

[newjez]

2 hours ago, robins_jessica said:

Hi, I've posted on the Darwin pages and had some great help, so thought I would try here too. i have the option to do my masters in early childhood at either Perth, or Darwin, or possibly Adelaide (not confirmed) We are a family of 4, two girls 4 and 6 (will be 5&7) husband skilled carpenter builder but aged 56. We currently live in the country with chickens and live miles form anyone. on this basis, we selected Darwin, as Perth seems soooooooo big.  However, I want to know if I am writing Perth off too quickly. We have the funds for around $400-$550 rental and we can have a car. I wouldn't want to live in the city,  I would need to get to UWA, but would like to have schools close to home for the kids. Hubby is going to find part time work probably self employed  so it can fit around me. If any one does have experience of living in any of the Cities, Perth specific experience or just any general advice I would be grateful. it's so hard trying to make such a big decision without being able to get on the ground and have a look. Start date for me is hopefully 2022 Feb, so some time away yet, if it can come together....

Do you get a parking permit at uwa? Parking is very restricted and public transport is sparse. Also, the surrounding suburbs are very expensive. One of the other unis, Murdoch or Curtin would be easier to get to.

Inner city living in Perth does exist, but is rare. But you amount of rent wouldn't give you many options. Perth seems to be going through a rental shortage.

Perth is a bit marmite. Don't know much about Darwin, but many people don't seem to like it.

Edited April 24, 2021 by newjez

[Drumbeat]

You could look at living in the Perth Hills rather than one of the city suburbs. We have half an acre and live opposite National Park land so there's a much more open feel and it's a nice community. It takes us around 40 mins to drive into the city in peak hour traffic or many people take the train.

There are plenty of schools, both public and private. Some areas to look at are: Darlington,  Greenmount, Boya, Glen Forrest, Mahogany Creek, Gooseberry Hill, Kalamunda, Lesmurdie. A little further out are Mundaring, Parkerville and Stoneville. 

Don't be put off my Perth's urban sprawl, there are still areas where you can keep chickens and have a garden full of birds and native wildlife.

 

[Skani]

5 hours ago, robins_jessica said:

We currently live in the country with chickens and live miles form anyone. on this basis, we selected Darwin,

Living in the UK countryside and living in Darwin bear no comparison - you may as well be living on different planets.  So I definitely wouldn't use that as a basis for choosing.

[calNgary]

1 hour ago, Skani said:

Living in the UK countryside and living in Darwin bear no comparison - you may as well be living on different planets.  So I definitely wouldn't use that as a basis for choosing.

I think the OP is saying they want room/ acreage like they had in the UK, so have been put off other places (in this case Perth) due to imagining it to be very built up.

Cal x

[Skani]

31 minutes ago, calNgary said:

I think the OP is saying they want room/ acreage like they had in the UK, so have been put off other places (in this case Perth) due to imagining it to be very built up.

Cal x

I understood it to mean that they are used to living in a rural area so Darwin, as a city, seems a more "comfortable"  size than Perth - not necessarily that they want acreage once they move.  However the cultural and climatic differences are so much greater in Darwin that certain areas of Perth - or Adelaide - might actually be more comfortable.  Darwin can be a huge culture shock - even to people from other parts of Australia.

[Marisawright]

2 hours ago, Skani said:

.  Darwin can be a huge culture shock - even to people from other parts of Australia.

Indeed.  One of my friends moved up from Sydney to Darwin with her new husband.   She's a country girl from Grafton so didn't expect to have any trouble settling in.   She cried herself to sleep every night for 6 months.  She's happy now but it was a tough adjustment.

[ali]

On 24/04/2021 at 06:45, robins_jessica said:

Hi, I've posted on the Darwin pages and had some great help, so thought I would try here too. i have the option to do my masters in early childhood at either Perth, or Darwin, or possibly Adelaide (not confirmed) We are a family of 4, two girls 4 and 6 (will be 5&7) husband skilled carpenter builder but aged 56. We currently live in the country with chickens and live miles form anyone. on this basis, we selected Darwin, as Perth seems soooooooo big.  However, I want to know if I am writing Perth off too quickly. We have the funds for around $400-$550 rental and we can have a car. I wouldn't want to live in the city,  I would need to get to UWA, but would like to have schools close to home for the kids. Hubby is going to find part time work probably self employed  so it can fit around me. If any one does have experience of living in any of the Cities, Perth specific experience or just any general advice I would be grateful. it's so hard trying to make such a big decision without being able to get on the ground and have a look. Start date for me is hopefully 2022 Feb, so some time away yet, if it can come together....

My daughter did her BA and Masters at UWA - and used to get the train and bus to Uni (there are a number of buses that go there from the busport in the city).  We live in Leeming which is a very easy commute (15 mins by train into the city - local station is Murdoch).

Perth CBD is  quite compact - we love living here.  There are suburbs with acreage they'd be further out and a little less accessible by train.

[Blue Flu]

Perth does not suit all tastes. It is very spread out , one of the most car centric places on earth and 'plastic' or 'lacking soul ' other terms often used to describe it. But it has beautiful weather for the most part. Good beaches, (parking can be an issue in summer) an improving public transport system (additional rail being built)  

It isn't cheap. Eating out I find more expensive than Sydney. Rents are very hard to come by at the moment. House prices were falling, now rising considerably in line with most everywhere else in Australia . The difficulty obtaining housing should not be under estimated. There is a 0.5% vacancy rate at the moment, which is chronically low. 

Rather important to check street for unsavory activity as well. Drug abuse is very widespread. Here I mean the manufacture of meth (ice) Perth led the world in production a few years back, since overtaken by Adelaide according to stats. (number one in the world) I have personally experienced the trauma of living around this and it is very serious with limited scope for rectification. 

[Paul1Perth]

On 24/04/2021 at 06:45, robins_jessica said:

Hi, I've posted on the Darwin pages and had some great help, so thought I would try here too. i have the option to do my masters in early childhood at either Perth, or Darwin, or possibly Adelaide (not confirmed) We are a family of 4, two girls 4 and 6 (will be 5&7) husband skilled carpenter builder but aged 56. We currently live in the country with chickens and live miles form anyone. on this basis, we selected Darwin, as Perth seems soooooooo big.  However, I want to know if I am writing Perth off too quickly. We have the funds for around $400-$550 rental and we can have a car. I wouldn't want to live in the city,  I would need to get to UWA, but would like to have schools close to home for the kids. Hubby is going to find part time work probably self employed  so it can fit around me. If any one does have experience of living in any of the Cities, Perth specific experience or just any general advice I would be grateful. it's so hard trying to make such a big decision without being able to get on the ground and have a look. Start date for me is hopefully 2022 Feb, so some time away yet, if it can come together....

UWA is a great uni. Looks and feels like a real university, lots of lovely older buildings, nice grounds, brilliant facilities, squash courts, gyms, tennis, swimming pools, good student bars. A footy and cricket oval in the middle of the campus, beautiful gardens, open air movies.

Unfortunately a lot of the facilities are hardly used as a lot of students study from home, not like it used to be, student life has changed. There are usually a large number of Asian students too who don't seem to use the sports facilities so much, don't seem to go out and drink much either. I used to work on Stirling Highway, close to UWA, went swimming most days at lunchtime in their pool (choice of 3), sometimes play squash or tennis there.

You could live in Freo and get to UWA pretty easily. That might suit you.

[Paul1Perth]

On 24/04/2021 at 09:18, newjez said:

Do you get a parking permit at uwa? Parking is very restricted and public transport is sparse. Also, the surrounding suburbs are very expensive. One of the other unis, Murdoch or Curtin would be easier to get to.

Inner city living in Perth does exist, but is rare. But you amount of rent wouldn't give you many options. Perth seems to be going through a rental shortage.

Perth is a bit marmite. Don't know much about Darwin, but many people don't seem to like it.

Parking is pretty cheap actually and numerous car parks at the uni. Public transport out of the City to the Uni is pretty good too, as is coming the other way from Fremantle. There are buses run to and from the railway station not too far away.

[Paul1Perth]

22 hours ago, Blue Flu said:

Perth does not suit all tastes. It is very spread out , one of the most car centric places on earth and 'plastic' or 'lacking soul ' other terms often used to describe it. But it has beautiful weather for the most part. Good beaches, (parking can be an issue in summer) an improving public transport system (additional rail being built)  

It isn't cheap. Eating out I find more expensive than Sydney. Rents are very hard to come by at the moment. House prices were falling, now rising considerably in line with most everywhere else in Australia . The difficulty obtaining housing should not be under estimated. There is a 0.5% vacancy rate at the moment, which is chronically low. 

Rather important to check street for unsavory activity as well. Drug abuse is very widespread. Here I mean the manufacture of meth (ice) Perth led the world in production a few years back, since overtaken by Adelaide according to stats. (number one in the world) I have personally experienced the trauma of living around this and it is very serious with limited scope for rectification. 

Both my kids have grown up here, ones 31 and the other 26. Drug use and problems with it are no worse than any big City and better than most.

I went to uni in Birmingham UK and if you wanted drugs you could get whatever you wanted. I shared a house with a couple of guys who were spending 10 quid a day on dope, doing hot knives before going out. Rich parents.

Me I just preferred booze, unless dope was going free, which was quite often.

Perth is like a kindergarden in comparison. My eldest has spent a lot of years travelling, lived in Whistler, Canada for a couple of years. That's when we were most worried about him. He's back here now, working FIFO offshore, so they get tested every swing. Pretty sure him and his friends are in a good place.

[Blue Flu]

54 minutes ago, Paul1Perth said:

Both my kids have grown up here, ones 31 and the other 26. Drug use and problems with it are no worse than any big City and better than most.

I went to uni in Birmingham UK and if you wanted drugs you could get whatever you wanted. I shared a house with a couple of guys who were spending 10 quid a day on dope, doing hot knives before going out. Rich parents.

Me I just preferred booze, unless dope was going free, which was quite often.

Perth is like a kindergarden in comparison. My eldest has spent a lot of years travelling, lived in Whistler, Canada for a couple of years. That's when we were most worried about him. He's back here now, working FIFO offshore, so they get tested every swing. Pretty sure him and his friends are in a good place.

 

I will take issue with you on the drug problem in Perth. I refer to meth (ice) and contrary to what you write, Perth is a world leader in this dreadful drug. Adelaide over the past two years has passed Perth in that regard, but still high.

Perth is no kindergarden in drug abuse that is for sure. It has long been an issue, but Meth has taken it to another level with the potential for violence for users of that drug. 

Meth is not and has not been a feature of UK drug taking. They certainly have other issues around the matter, with places like Scotland being bad in parts, (Brighton bad as well) 

No what I write about is something far more destructive. As for testing in the mines, a reason meth is so popular is it doesn't show up in testing. 

My area (inner city) is very active in home made meth production. I lived completely oblivious to it until pointed out by a near neighbour . Professional people involved, but also uni students, middle aged people, a few tradie types. But what it is not is druggie perceived types  or meth heads as seen in the city. I suspect these are most likely not consuming themselves but purely in it for the profit. 

One thing is for certain. We have a very difficult task ahead to combat this meth scourge and I'm not sure are up to the task by any means from my observation. It is a national problem with certain areas very badly impacted like Murray Bridge in SA. 

All most disheartening . Country WA has been impacted badly. 

[HappyHeart]

On 24/04/2021 at 06:45, robins_jessica said:

Hi, I've posted on the Darwin pages and had some great help, so thought I would try here too. i have the option to do my masters in early childhood at either Perth, or Darwin, or possibly Adelaide (not confirmed) We are a family of 4, two girls 4 and 6 (will be 5&7) husband skilled carpenter builder but aged 56. We currently live in the country with chickens and live miles form anyone. on this basis, we selected Darwin, as Perth seems soooooooo big.  However, I want to know if I am writing Perth off too quickly. We have the funds for around $400-$550 rental and we can have a car. I wouldn't want to live in the city,  I would need to get to UWA, but would like to have schools close to home for the kids. Hubby is going to find part time work probably self employed  so it can fit around me. If any one does have experience of living in any of the Cities, Perth specific experience or just any general advice I would be grateful. it's so hard trying to make such a big decision without being able to get on the ground and have a look. Start date for me is hopefully 2022 Feb, so some time away yet, if it can come together....

Perth could definitely tick your boxes. Simply ignore anybody who claims that Perth is ‘all the same’, ‘soulless’, ,’plastic’, ‘boring’, or ‘built up’. 
The North and South coastal corridor and inland to some extent has seen massive infrastructure and development. New suburbs can look sterile till the greenery grows back. The more established so called ‘poms paradise’ coastal burbs leave a lot of people cold- myself included. You’ve already identified that’s not what you’re after so all good. 
Living East of the city (Perth hills/Swan Valley)should suit your needs. Many suburbs have a country feel. Lots of green, rolling hills, rustic cafes and awesome walks and places of natural beauty.  You can drive to the city in 20- 45 minutes from most of the suburbs. 
Id be looking at Guildford,  Chittering, Bullsbrook, Mundaring, Roleystone, Middle Swan. 
The further out you go the more ‘country’ it will feel. 
Important to know there is a huge rental crisis right now. Whether the situation will be different in 2022 remains to be seen. Your budget sounds ok. The top end more realistic. 
PM me if you want to chat more, I’ve lived in Perth for 12 years. 

 

"1275 Kilburn Road, Parkerville, WA 6081 - House for Rent - realestate.com.au" https://m.realestate.com.au/property-house-wa-parkerville-431643122

Added example of typical rental property in Parkerville (near Mundaring and about 40mins from city in good traffic) 

Edited April 26, 2021 by HappyHeart

[Blue Flu]

Perth born and partly bred. The Hills are great for the large part. Just be aware of bush fires and extreme smoke during bush fires or indeed burning. But for acreage and other requirements that location may well fit the bill.